Void
by randomlass
Summary: Blocking a memory that may never be forgotten may cause problems to occur later on. So, what happens when the memory fights it’s way back? Would it cause chaos...or will it hold surprises?
1. Default Chapter

**Hey, I just got this idea while I was hanging in my Dad's office…so, the moment I got home I decided to start writing it…oh…special note…I will be rewriting my story **_**A Message In Music**_** soon, due to bad grammar. And for those who sent me nasty flames, and the one pacifically that stated the Kitten's with AIDS comment: You shouldn't be the one talking with a rude comment like that, because frankly what you said was rude and offensive, if my story was bad, then you SHOULD have told me without adding the immature comment about the Kittens. Sorry for saying that, but I had to get that off my chest**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own TMNT, they belong to Mirage, but I'm happy to say that Zarah (sounds like Sarah) Thompson is MINE! If you wish to borrow her, then you have to ask me first! **

**Pairings:**** DonZarah, with future chances of onesided MikeZarah**

**Void: Default Chapter**

A thin layer of dust covered the attic as a young woman began going through it, grabbing dust covered boxes and setting them aside. She sighed in irritation as a strand of sun bleached hair hung in her face, she tuck it behind her ear, where the short strands that escaped the French braid that cascaded down her back.

"Daddy's got to have somethin' round 'ere to store Mom's belongings," she whispered to herself. She silently made her way towards an area that had sun rays peaking through the window, an old trunk was covered in a thick layer of dust. The young woman furrowed her brow before making her way towards the trunk, pushing boxes and an old manikin out of the way.

She stopped and plopped down on her knees when she reached the trunk, her knees and lower legs causing dust to travel wildly in random directions. She was surprised there wasn't a lock on the trunk, and she carefully pried it open with a loud creak. The first thing that caught her eye was a yellowing sheet of paper, with a crayon drawing of a blond pig tailed girl, and a green blobbed with some yellow on it's stomach with purple blobbed on its forehead.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she reached in, picking it up and studying the picture, she flipped it over and noticed that there was a date on the back, written in the black ink pen her father would write with.

_7/8/97_

"Why is this so familiar?" she murmured aloud, flipping it to study the drawing more.

A sharp pain suddenly throbbed in her head, and she quickly placed a hand on her head as a wave of nausea hit her. Closing her eyes tightly, she could hear the child like laughter of two children, a boy and a girl, as she swallowed the bile that inched up her throat. The released the picture as a dry sob escaped her lips, it landing back inside the trunk, a word echoing through the void darkness that concealed an erased memory.

_Donnie…_

------

Donatello rubbed his temples as the computer screen illuminated on through out his bedroom.

"July 8th, 1997," he murmured, "Why does that date stick out in my mind?"

"_You're a silly-willy, Donnie?"_

He perked up at the little girl's voice in his mind. He furrowed his brow, trying to reach back into his mind.

"July 8th," he whispered, before his eyes widened a bit. He couldn't help but notice on that particular date Master Splinter would go and check on him more often and even got to the point of forbidding him from meditating on that date.

_But why?_

A slight child like giggle entered his mind, causing him to furrow his brow before closing his eyes.

"_You don't got a Mommy? You can share mine!"_

The girl's voice entered his mind again, causing him to smile slightly.

"_I want to 'member you, Donnie, but why won't our daddies let us 'member?" _

He squeezed his eyes shut, remembering the tale of how he and his brothers actually met the Ancient One. Could he have had a memory Master Splinter wanted him to forget?

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**I hope you guys liked it…please let me know if you have any completes…oh…if you think Zarah is talking funny, she's talking like some Southern people talk, due to her mother's decent from the South…so, she picked up a lot from her. **

**Note to Readers: Please don't freak out when I use the terms "ya'll" and "youz guyz" in the same story, I know that they are completely different dialogue, but I wanted to do a sorta North meets South kinda thing, because I learned a lot during my trip up to the NYC. Like if you say "ya'll" up north people will look at you like you're a total freak of nature. Oh, if you want to see how my trip went, visit the website on my profile! **


	2. Chapter 1 Silent Cry

**Thanks for all the support, so here is the real chapter 1, and I really hope you guys like it! This chapter introduces many things, such as Zarah's parents, the only problem is, I can't spoil the surprise…LOL!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own TMNT, they belong to Mirage; all I own are Zarah, Philip, and Sally Thompson, if you wish to borrow them, then please ask me permission!**

**Void: Chapter 1-Silent Cry**

The sound of a pencil tapping on a table top caused her to look up from her spaghetti, causing her to stare at the aging man before her, his large lensed glasses caused his eyes to seem larger then they really were.

"Daddy, somethin's been botherin' ya since Mom passed on," she stated, twirling the fork in the sauce-covered noodles.

The man looked up from a wide-open file on his desk, a slight frown on his lips, "Zarah, not now."

"Daddy, it ain't gonna get any better unless ya talk 'bout it," she whispered.

The man shook his head, "Zarah, I have to finish this project up."

She shook her head, closing her eyes, as she dropped her fork with a 'cling' on her plate, "Can I be excused."

The man made a slight sound that she knew gave her permeation to leave the table. Bracing her hands on the table, but she pushed the oak chair she was sitting in back, before standing up. Sending one last glance at her father for the night, she turned on her left heel and stormed out of the dining room.

------

"Hey, Don, you've been staring at that sheet of paper for half an hour now!" Michelangelo moaned, "I thought you'd be working on a project or invention or something…what's so interesting 'bout one sheet of paper anyways."

Mikey stared at Don as his genius brother gazed at the paper at the kitchen table, for what seemed like too long in his terms. Heck, he'd been like that since he walked in the kitchen to make himself some lunch.

"July 8th, 1997," Don suddenly murmured.

"Huh?" Mikey blinked, staring at his brother, a confused look on his face.

"Why does that date in particular come into mind," Mikey blinked, noticing that Donatello was talking to himself, tapping a balled point pen on his chin.

"Dunno, maybe you should talk to Splinter," Mikey suddenly blurted out.

Don suddenly tensed, finally noticing Michelangelo was sitting at the kitchen table with him, "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Half an hour," Mikey stated bluntly, drumming his fingers on the table, a bored expression on his face, "and what's with all this July 8th, 1997, crap?"

Donatello sighed, rubbing his temple as a child like laugh entered his mind, muttering, "I've been hearing things."

Mikey perked up, "Like what?"

"Listen baby brother, some things even I can't explain," Don stated, closing his eyes.

"_Zarah, ya get back 'ere with those pictures!"_

Don blinked, noticing it was a woman's voice, thick with a Southern Accent.

"_But Mommy, Donnie and I were just goin' ta look at 'em!"_

The little girl's voice again, something about it made his heart swell when it said his name.

_Zarah, why does that name ring a bell?_

Bringing the pen to his mouth, he sucked it a bit, the bitter taste of ink resting on his tongue. Something did not add up about it, he knew exactly how the name was spelled, and yet he had no memory of meeting such a person. Pulling the pen from his mouth, he quickly scribbled the word 'Zarah' underneath the date.

"Then explain that," Mikey pointed at the word his brother had just written, "because it sounds like that hostess from that one show…" he scratched his head, "I know it has to do something with music."

"Mikey, shouldn't you be feeding Klunk?" Don finally asked, "Or go mess with Raph and Leo or something?"

Mikey thought for a bit, "Fed Klunk this morning, and both Raph and Leo threatened to kick my ass if I messed with them today."

_Just great. _

Don rubbed his temples for the second time that conversation, a migraine forming pressure in his skull. A slight tingling feeling was set on his forehead; he could make out the long slender fingers of a woman's hand.

"_Don' worry lil' one, I'll help ya feel better." _

The pain suddenly began to subside, but he could still feel the tingling.

_What the shell?_

------

She had returned to the attic after avoiding the storage room for several days after the incident that caused her mind to be on the edge. She kept on hearing her mother talking in the Southern drawl, telling her repeatedly that everything would be getting better…

_But why does everything seem to be gettin' worse?_

She flipped on the flashlight in her grasp, shutting out the light to the upstairs room. Her father reacted drastically after finding her whimpering and crying in front of the trunk, harshly punishing her from opening it.

Gently fixing her lime green pajama shorts she walked forward, the light casting an eerie glow as she made her way to the trunk on the opposite end of the room. She repeated what she had done days before, opening the trunk as silently as she could reaching in and fumbling around with the papers.

She blinked when she felt the hard cover of a book, "What the?" She pulled it out carefully, flashing the light at the cover, which was a deep brown in color. She stuck the flashlight in her mouth opening the book carefully. Her eyes furrowed at the words written inside the cover.

_Property of Sally Thompson, this must have been 'er writing notebook she lost shortly after I turned eight. _

Flipping the page, her eyes widened slightly, the flashlight threatening to fall out of her mouth. She clamped down on the flashlight with her teeth, her eyes twinkling in the darkness at the date scribbled at the top in the black ink similar to the date written on the picture she found days before.

_May 23, 1997_

She shut the book with one hand, pulling the flashlight out of her mouth, and grabbed a small stack of pictures that were yellowing. Some how she knew that the book would be the key into finding out what happened on June 8th of 1997; she would search until it killed her.

_Mom, what are ya tryin' ta tell me?_

**-Three Weeks Prior-**

"What's the meetin' 'bout anyways, Mom?" Zarah asked the fair-haired woman as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing an eggplant purple business suit. The woman's chocolate brown eyes twinkled with laughter.

"That Father of yours is goin' ta hell an' back to finish this project, and he's been pesterin' me to come along," she ran her fingers through her curled hair, "plus I wanna see what's so special about a machine that translates baby talk. I mean, I remember when you were in diapers and cowboy boots, and I could understand every lil' thing you babbled out."

She flushed, a pink tent covering her freckled cheeks, "Mama! Ya know how I feel when ya talk about me from my baby years!"

The woman rolled her eyes, before messing up Zarah's blonde hair with her hand as she walked past, "But ya were a cute lil' baby."

Zarah sighed a bit, adjusting her spaghetti strapped pajama top, "So?"

"Zarah," her mother smiled a bit, standing at the door, "One day, I might not be here, and these talks will be all that ya have in your memory of me."

"Mom, you're acting like you're goin' ta die any day now," Zarah stated.

"Honey, ya gotta live like there's no tomorrow," the woman stated, shaking her head slightly, "because you'll never know when your life's gonna be over."

_**-That Night-**_

Zarah was sitting crossed legged with a textbook in her lap, "Poor lil' Doodle, his brother was a big fat creep jus' thinkin' of 'imself." She shook her head slightly writing her name on the carpet with her right index finger as she stared at the book silently. Unshed tears glazed her eyes, and she had no idea why.

_**BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!**_

She jumped slightly, glancing at the cordless phone that sat next to her. Snatching up quickly as it rang loudly, she pressed the speaker button, "Thompson residence this is Zarah speakin'."

"Zarah, it's Dr. Brians," a male voice spoke on the other end, voices were muffled in the background, but she could hear her father talking to her father's doctor, "there's been a terrible accident."

_Mom…_

**-Present Day-**

She furiously scrubbed her hands in the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. It was hard to be strong, especially after that talk with her mother.

_I didn't even get ta say good-bye._

She shook her head, causing the childish statement to escape her thoughts. She was trying to be strong to prove to her father that she could handle living without the woman she looked up to and adored in her life.

Something suddenly reached out of the void of her mind.

"_You're Mommy loves you, I wish I had one."_

She stopped in mid-movement, allowing the water to continue to soak her hands. Her milk chocolate eyes staring at herself in the mirror; she had not noticed the dark rings underneath her eyes, or how sickly she looked. Suddenly a wave of dizziness slapped onto her and she braced the sink with her water-slicked hands, and the gut wrenching pain of nausea kicked in.

"_You're not afraid of me?" _

"_Of coarse not, I've seen scarier things in my cousin's toilet." _

She closed her eyes tightly, "Get out of my head." A dry sob escaped her lips as her hands gripped her sink harder, causing her knuckles to go white.

"_Hush, it's alright, just let go, and don't fight…"_

"Mommy, I need ya," she drew in a shaky breathe as she fought back the tears, "I don't wanna be alone."

Suddenly out of the darkness of her mind, a little boy's voice called to her.

"_Zarah, you'll never be alone." _

-----

It had been three hours since Donatello felt that weird presence and he felt as if everything would be back to normal. Well, as normal as it gets being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle can get, and normal in Donatello's terms was sitting in his lab, working on his latest invention.

"Whatcha doin'?" Donatello tensed suddenly, glancing at the opening to his lab. Raphael was standing there with a smug expression on his face.

"Working on a way to put a holographic simulator into a watch," he stated flatly.

Raphael nodded slightly, "Fer what?"

"So we can camouflage better topside," he stated, setting his screwdriver down.

"Well, Master Splinter told me to come 'ere and let ya know that ya better get to dinner before Mike inhales all the pizza," Raphael smirked slightly, throwing his right thumb over his shoulder, and nodding his head towards the kitchen, "and Mike's blabbin' that ya lost yer mind."

Donatello blinked, "I haven't lost my mind…"

"Then what's with this June 8th, 1990, crap," he stated, "I mean, it ain't like ya Donnie."

"_Donnie, I don't want ta forget."_

"The year is 1997, Raph," Donnie shook his head. Raph suddenly blinked.

"Ain't that the day ya came home when we were six, afta disappearin' for a couple of months?" Raph blurted, scratching his head.

"I never disappeared," Donnie shook his head.

"Ya got to be kiddin' me," Raph sighed, shaking his head, bringing a hand to his forehead, running it down his face, before letting it limply hang at his side, "Don, ya did disappear when we were kids," Raph stated, "Are ya feelin' alright?" The tougher turtle tilted his head, staring worriedly at his brainy brother.

"I feel fine, Raph," Don blinked, "and I didn't disappear, because if I did I would have remembered."

Raph stared strangely at Don for a bit, "I'm goin' ta talk to Splinter."

"Raph, I'm telling you, there is no way I vanished when we were kids, I would have remembered," Don cried.

Raph narrowed his eyes, "That's it I'm gettin' Splinter."

Don only stood there helplessly watching as his stronger brother stormed out of the lab area.

"Ya should know that you're brother is right," a feminine southern drawl stated from behind him. Don turned sharply, his eyes widening at the translucent woman sitting on his workbench, with long fair hair curling at the ends, and wearing a long silk gown that hung gently on her body.

"Hello, Donnie, it's been awhile," she smiled at him. Don blinked, staring at her with his eyes wide.

"Aww, come on, jus' say somethin', or do somethin'!" she cried.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fainted, landing directly in front of her.

She sighed, putting one of her hands to her forehead, "Damn it! Why do people either scream of faint when they see a ghost?"

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**I hope this chapter was just as good as the default. As you can tell Zarah is basically a Raph/Leo hybrid when it comes to hiding things, but you'll see her true personality eventually. **

**Special thanks to Crystal Persian for reading chapters before I post 'em!**


	3. Chapter 2 Doors Unlocked

**Sorry for the chapter delay, major writers block! But here it is Void back with a few surprises inside!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own TMNT, they belong to Mirage; all I own are Zarah, Philip, ally Thompson, along with all other characters that belong to me, if you wish to borrow them, you can if you ask my permission. **

**Void: Chapter 2-Doors Unlocked**

Raph sighed, shaking his head before plopping himself in his seat at the kitchen table. Master Splinter stared at him, his eyes held a tired tint to them, a long with a small pinch of worry, the look was suddenly disrupted by the sound of Mikey gorging himself with a slice of pizza with the toppings of sausage, mushrooms, and black olives, with extra cheese.

With an annoyed sigh, he finally found the words, "Something is bothering you my son."

Raph let out a snort, glancing at Leo who was sipping his tea, glancing at the kitchen entrance, waiting and watching for Don to enter the room.

"Don's lost it," he blurted out, ignoring the glare Leo suddenly threw at him.

Master Splinter blinked, staring at Raph for a bit. Bringing a hand to his forehead, he rubbed it as a migraine formed causing pressure in his head, "What makes you and Michelangelo believe that Donatello has lost his sanity?"

"How in the shell does anyone forget that they disappeared ten years ago?" Raph asked, eyes narrowed, "He said he don't remember ever disappearin'."

Master Splinter froze in mid movement, eyes closed as if he was lost in thought.

"Master Splinter?" Leo asked, staring worriedly at their aging father.

_**THUD!**_

The old rat's eyes snapped open at the sudden sound that escaped from the direction of the lab. Mikey stopped in mid bite, eyes wide at the sudden noise, Raph glanced into the direction, eyes narrowed, and Leo started to get up, only to be forced to sit back down by Master Splinter placing a hand on his shoulder, "Leonardo, I will go check on Donatello, I will call for you if I need any assistance."

Staring at Master Splinter with slight confusion, Leo nodded, watching as Master Splinter grabbed his walking stick, shakily standing up, and heading towards the direction of the lab.

------

Zarah used her fluffed, goose-feathered pillow to muffle out the arguing from downstairs. It was all because of a funeral that she wished was not about to take place. Her father and aunt wanted her buried in New York City, while her grandparents (mother's parents) and father's cousin wanted her mother buried in her mother's hometown down south.

Frankly, she just wanted this over and done with, so she could go on with her pitiful and meaningless life.

She shut her eyes hearing the footsteps climbing up the stairs and to her bedroom, she could hear the door creak open, sending a ray of light into her bedroom.

"Zarah, I know you're awake," the thick feminine Brooklyn accent stated.

She turned over in bed, sending her father's cousin an annoyed look, "Lady Jones, what brings you 'ere?"

She tried to sound tired, but the older woman could see right through her, "Ya do know that my Casey tried the same thing."

"Well, you guys sound foolish arguing like a bunch a kids on where my Mom should be buried," she stated, sitting up setting her pillow in her lap. She began to run her hands over it carefully, eyes casted downwards.

"You miss 'er, don't ya?" Lady Jones smiled at the teen, watching as she drew into herself.

"If I said no, I'd be lying to you and myself," Zarah whispered, "Why did she have to get hit by that drunk driver, and why did she have to die?"

She fought back the tears that glazed her eyes, only to have a few stray ones escape, leaving wet spots on her dark yellow pillowcase. Lady Jones sighed, before walking over and sitting on the bed.

"Hey, this is hard on me, too. I mean, Sally was an amazing woman, and heck, at times I wished that she was my cousin, but she wasn't," she reached out, taking hold of Zarah's shoulder with her right hand, "I hate how your aunt and pop are reacting towards this. Your ma wanted to be buried in her hometown, she told Philip that, but he's a stinkin' hardheaded bastard that doesn't listen to anyone else."

"I know," Zarah whimpered, "but this isn't getting any easier for me. I mean, you had to see Aunt Samantha, and my dad like this when they were little kids."

"Ya know I haven't seen ya since our last family reunion three years ago," Lady Jones grinned, "and I have to say this, but you've grown up so much since the last time I saw ya."

"I bet Casey's still a dork," Zarah murmured, bringing her left hand up to wipe away the tears.

"Yeah, he is," Lady Jones sighed, "but ya can't choose how your child turns out."

Zarah sighed, brushing stray strands of hair from her eyes, "Why are you changing the subject?"

"Because your ma would want ya to move on," Lady Jones sighed, shaking her head, "she wouldn't want to see ya give up on life just because she's gone. Maybe her sudden death is a way of tellin' ya that ya got to let go."

Zarah nodded slightly, closing her eyes, "Is there anyway I can get as far away from my dad for a couple of days?"

Lady Jones grinned, "Actually, there is."

-----

The ghost could not help but grin as the sounds of the walking stick. In a matter of moments, she began to fade, until she was no longer translucent, but transparent.

Master Splinter entered the lab, suddenly overwhelmed by the sight of Donatello on the ground of his lab unconscious.

"Donatello…"

The ghost watched in silence as the old father attended his son. She could feel a part of herself drifting, and breaking at the sight.

"_Mama, will you hold me."_

She could still see the little girl reaching up and begging her to hold her. She could see the tears in her eyes after someone made fun of her in school about her wild imagination. It had been so long since her daughter was that young, and she was completely shattered knowing she will never finish seeing her daughter grow up.

_I love ya, my lil' Zare-bear. _

"_I love ya, Mommy." _

The ghost floated in her spot a few moments. She knew she should blurt out to the old rat why she was here, oh, she could tell that he sensed her presence, but he knew she was not a threat.

_Thank Heavens._

-----

Mikey pouted, staring at Raph as he held the last box of pizza away from him. He knew he should at least save it for Donnie and Master Splinter when they got back from the lab, but hey, it was their loss. He was not about to let a pizza go cold because of Don being absolutely nuts.

"I wonder if Don's alright," Leo suddenly muttered, before taking a sip of whatever beverage he had in his cup.

"Are ya kiddin' me?" Raph blurted, letting his guard on the pizza down a bit, "Don's lost his mind, I mean, ain't he the smart one, shouldn't he know that he disappeared ten damned years ago!"

"Well, we didn't exactly remember our first meeting with the Ancient One when we were kids, now did we?" Leo cocked an eye ridge, "I mean something like that could have happened to Donnie. I mean, he was taken from us by scientists the first and only time Master Splinter took us topside when we were younger."

"True…" Mikey stated, leaning over the table to grab the pizza box, only to have Raph move it last minute.

"Heh, yeah, I remember," Raph snorted, "Mike was devastated, an' started cryin' like a lil' baby."

"Did not!" Mikey whined.

"It was kinda weird that nothing was wrong with Don when he got back, and he acted like he normally did, as if nothing happened," Leo frowned a bit, "He didn't have a single scratch on him."

"Yeah, I remember that, too," Raph furrowed his brow, "If he was takin' by scientist, then wouldn't they have…"

"La-la-la-la," Mikey plugged the area where his ears would be, "I'm not listening!" Raph rolled his eyes at Michelangelo's immaturity, and Leo just chuckled.

It was all the hide the grief they went through those few months their brother was gone.

------

After thirty minutes of blacking out, Don opened his eyes. He was slightly relieved that he did not see the ghost woman, but he was half surprised to see his father's worried eyes.

"Donatello, are you feeling alright?" Don drew in a deep breath at the question. He had just saw a ghost, a highly improbably outcome for someone to face in a friendly gesture.

Usually they tried to scare the pee out of you.

The date that had been bothering him suddenly flashed in his mind, his mouth going off without warning. The old rat's muzzle formed a frown at the words, and a bit of worry over came him.

_What the shell?_

"Master Splinter?"

"Donatello, go eat dinner," his sensei stated the statement as an order, and the purple-banded turtle hurried off to the kitchen.

After a few moments, the old rat's eyes rested on where the ghost floated.

"Sally, I'm surprised this day has come so soon."

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**Ooo, spooky, Splinter knows the ghost! Hehehe, well, constructive criticism is welcome! Yeah, I know the chapter's short, I've been suffering from writers block for a bit, along with ****Fellow Outcast****, and I'm waiting for the ideas for my rewritten version of ****Crazy Fangirls**

_**Note:**_** Schools starting soon T.T where did the summer go? **

**Oh, please check out my profile for a TMNT Role-play cite…we need someone to play Raph, Leo, Master Splinter, April, Angel, Casey, Shredder, Bishop, Hun, Foot Soldiers, and Purple Dragons…if you guys just wanna check it out, please do! **


	4. Chapter 3 Answers and More Questions

**Okay, here is chappie 3, and you will get a little flashback on how Don was saved from those evil scientists! **

**Oh, I never mentioned this before, this story sets after Fast Forward, even though it doesn't mention anything about it, it will eventually in later chapters. **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own TMNT, they belong to Mirage; all I own are Zarah, Philip, Sally Thompson, along with all other characters that belong to me, if you wish to borrow them, you can if you ask my permission. **

**Void: Chapter 3-Answers and More Questions**

"_Sally, I'm surprised this day has come so soon." _

Splinter could not help the smug look as the ghost returned to her translucent state, pouting. After a few moments, the infernal pouting turned into a small sad smile, "You've raised him well."

The old rat beamed proudly at the complement, "Thank you," his proud expression furrowed, "What exactly happened to cause or contract to come into order so quickly?"

Sally sighed, "I didn't intend for it ta happen. All I wanted was ta see my lil' girl grow up, start a family of 'er own, but it happened so fast, the drunk driver, I was busy talkin' to my husband, then suddenly I was dead."

The old rat nodded, his eyes soft, "I will be forever in your debt for saving Donatello ten years ago, Ms. Sally."

Sally only smiled slightly, before stating, "He didn't deserve any of that kinda stuff. I mean, my co-workers were insane, an' when he looked at me with those frightened eyes, I saw my own child, an' I couldn't let them do that to 'im."

The old rat nodded, face stern at the memory. It was the one heart-wrenching mistake that turned out being one of his greatest blessings.

------

Zarah stood in the room, her toes curling at the cold temperature of the room. She shifted from one foot to the other nervously staring at her father. Her aunt sat on the couch blabbing on and on about how stupid her name was the way it was spelled; the woman held something against her since the moment she let out her first cries of life.

What she did not know was the spelling of the name was actually her father's idea.

"Sammie, could ya shut your trap for five minutes," Lady Jones snapped at the rude woman. The brunette on the couch shut her mouth, staring at Lady Jones with hard grey eyes. She drew in a sharp intake of breath when Lady Jones elbowed her lightly, motioning her to speak with her father.

"Daddy," her eyes rested worriedly on her father, "um, do ya mind if I could spend the rest of my summer with Lady Jones?"

Philip glanced at Lady Jones, sending her a questioning look, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, sir, more then anythin'," he stared at his only child for a few moments, before nodding slightly.

"You can go, just please be careful," he didn't show it much, but Zarah was the world to him, and if anything happened to her he'd most likely suffer because of it.

Zarah brightened up, before quickly walking up to her father, "Thank ya, Daddy. Ya'll won't have ta worry 'bout me, I'll be fine!"

He smiled slightly, before hugging her back gently, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow," he sighed, glancing at Lady Jones.

"Go and pack, afterwards, get some sleep," he tapped the end of her nose, making her roll her eyes at him.

"I know," she stuck out her tongue as she pulled back, and quickly ran upstairs to pack. Samantha glared at her kid brother, hands on her hips.

"You're letting your daughter go? Her mother just died, she needs to be here with you!" the woman snapped at him.

"Hey, Sammie, she just needs time away from here," Lady Jones sent her cousin a slight glare, "remember when your ma died? You wanted to get as far away from home as you could, so ya went and got eloped!"

"Th-That's different!" Samantha hesitated on her words, it was a mistake, she knew. The man she eloped with ended up being a big fat lazy ass that took advantage of her.

The elderly couple that was Sally's parents just watched looks of disappointment on their features. It had been rough on the both of them, just the thought of loosing both of their children before their time was up. Their son had died due to multiple brain tumors at the age of twenty-nine, and they had just lost their daughter because of a drunk driver.

Why couldn't the fighting stop?

------

"Nice to see ya finally get out of yer own little world," Raph stated gruffly as Don walked past, towards the fridge to pull out whatever beverage he could find. He noticed that their brainy brother was a bit shaken up, and upset.

He wasn't the only one who noticed the slight change in their brother.

"Don, you look like you saw a ghost," Leo stated, staring at the purple-banded turtle as said turtle pulled out a can of country style lemonade. Don stared at him wide eyed for a few seconds, only to sigh and shake his head.

_They wouldn't believe me even if I told them. _

"I'm just a little hungry," Don forced a small smile, before walking over to the table, pulling out a chair, and plopping down into it. Raph sent Mikey a slight smirk, before handing the pizza box to Donnie.

"So, did ya get any answers to that little date that you've been thinkin' 'bout lately?" Don noted that Raph stated it in a teasing way. Rolling his eyes, he opened the pizza box that was in his hotheaded brother's grasp, and pulled out a slice.

"Or that girl's name," Mikey obviously was playing along.

"What the shell?" Leo glanced between Raph, Mikey, and Don, his eyes wide, "What in the world has been going on here?"

He was asking not only as a leader, but as a curious older brother who was wondering if his little brother's were talking about him behind his back.

"Frankly Leo," Don sighed, noticing he wasn't as hungry as he thought he was, "I have no idea either. I mean, July eighth, 1997, and the name Zarah, I have no idea why the shell those two things keep coming to mind, and it's frustrating."

"Oh, so the next thing we're going to hear you talk about is that you'll hear a voice calling out to you in your dreams," Mikey snickered, before making his voice sound girly, "Help me, Donnie, help me!"

Don paled slightly, before taking a bite of pizza, ignoring as Mikey continued his lame little girl impression. He could not understand why this was happening; he was just fine until three weeks ago.

He blinked. Three weeks earlier, it had all started, and nothing weird was going on before then.

"Mikey! Stop acting like an annoying brat," Leo narrowed his eyes at Mikey as the orange-banded ninja continued his little impression. It was not very cute, and it defiantly was not helping Don at all.

Raph let out a small chuckle, "Aww, come on Leo, ya gotta admit that's kinda funny." Leo rolled his eyes at Raph and Mike's child like behavior. Glancing at Don, he noted that their brainy brother was taking this a bit too…

Strangely.

------

It was a depressing memory for Sally, just to remember what happened on her daughter's birthday ten years prior. She didn't want to remember, but she had to.

"I really wish to know, how did you get Donatello out of that horrible place?" Master Splinter asked.

Sally sighed, a sad smile forming on her lips, "Alright, I'll tell ya…"

**-Ten Years Prior-**

Sally held the clipboard to her chest, a slight frown on her lips, "Philip, I dunno, ain't that a bit extreme to get a six year old for her birthday." Her husband was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, I got a puppy for my sixth birthday," he stated, "plus she'll love one."

"Honey, I love puppies as much as any other woman would, but sweetie, she's just so young," the woman shook her head, "couldn't we consider a goldfish, or a turtle, or somethin' like that?"

The man sighed, glancing at his watch, "Well, break's over. Maybe we should talk about this when we're on our way home in three hours."

She smiled slightly at him, "Alright, besides, I wanna see what Joseph's so exited 'bout from his trip to New York two days ago." Philip smiled at his wife, before leaning over kissing her soundly on the lips. She smiled slightly, kissing him back gently before they broke apart, slipping on their lab coats and slipping from the break room.

They walked side by side until he slipped into laboratory A-7 and she continued towards the lab she worked at which was B-9. After a few minutes of walking, she turned into her lab area only to pause seeing her partner excitedly tiding up her lab area.

"Joseph, ya varmint, get away from my reports!" she walked briskly towards him, ripping her work from his grimy hands. She frowned at him, her eyes flashing angrily.

"I'm sorry, but the boss is going to come in here after you leave to see what I brought from my trip!" the man seemed really giddy.

"Okay, what did you and those other six scientists find," the woman rolled her eyes at his excitement.

"Okay, follow me," he seemed more excited by her little statement. She followed him, even though something in her gut screamed not to.

The frown on her lips deepened when they reached the animal labs. She could hear the soft moaning sounds of the lab monkeys as she passed their cages. She hated this one part about a few of her fellow co-workers.

They did not really think about the thought of animal cruelty.

She paused when he opened the door to an isolated area.

"Joseph, did ya find some new species or somethin'?" she asked in a serious tone.

"As a matter of fact, I did," the man grinned, allowing her to enter first. The first sound she picked up was the sound of a child whimpering, which made her think that this was some kind of cruel and twisted joke. She stared at the cage in the room for a few moments before taking a few steps forward, the whimpering turning into soft crying.

She stopped when she was only a tiny distance away; peering into the cage, she reached out grabbing one of the metal bars that made up the small prison. The shell was apparent that this was some kind of terrapin like creature, but the arms and legs screamed that it was more humanoid.

She glanced at Joseph, before glancing back into the cage. The creature was staring at her wide eyed, terrified of her presence.

It hurt her more then anything; reminding her of those, few times she punished her daughter for doing something bad.

She tore her eyes from the creature, sending John a glare that screamed 'you are a no good bastard.' John was beaming too proudly to notice her look of hate.

Suddenly the door swung open into the isolated area, a grey haired man peaking in, "Professor Ross, the administrator wishes to speak with you, and he wants you in the meeting room immediately."

Joseph glanced at Sally grinning, "When you're done, you can get back to whatever project you were working, okay, Sal?"

She stuck her tongue out at the two men as they exited the room.

As soon as the door shut her eyes darted around the room for the keys, and when she found them, she grabbed them, fumbling around with them until she found the popper key for the cage. She opened the entrance to the cage with a soft click, and she carefully slipped in.

She watched as the humanoid terrapin move, trying to get as far away from her as possible. She would not blame it for doing that, so she got on her knees, getting to its level. She held her arms out, sending it a gentle look.

She did not want it to fear her.

She watched as it stared at her with a bit of confusion, "I'm not goin' ta hurt ya."

"P-Promise?" she blinked when she heard the small trembling voice of a little boy escape its throat. Correction, _his_ throat.

"I promise," she watched silently as he carefully stood up, walking towards her cautiously towards her, before allowing her to pull him into a gentle hug.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, "I'm so sorry that they did this ta ya."

"I wanna go home," he whimpered, "I want my brothers, and I want Master Splinter."

She held his trembling body close, "Shh, it's gonna be okay."

She had to get him out of there; he did not deserve anything like this. He was just a child. Her eyes glanced around until she noticed a purple cloth on the chair just outside the cage, which appeared to be covering many items.

She held him tighter when he let out a heart-breaking sob, "I'm goin' ta get ya outta 'ere."

She would get him out of there, and if she were caught, she would be fired for it in order to save his life.

**-Three Hours Later-**

"Sally, honey, the administrator is going to be at our necks if we do this," Philip seemed a bit peeved with the idea, "I mean if we hack into the security system and put on a repeated simulation for four and a half hours…"

"Hon, it ain't gonna be that suspicious," Sally whispered, "you'll think 'bout Zarah when you set your eyes on 'im, he's just a trembling little child."

"Fine, but if we get in trouble for this…" he paused at the look in his wife's eyes, "we'll take all the responsibilities, and we will take him and our daughter and be on the run for the rest of our lives."

"Ya call that takin' the responsibilities?" the woman rolled her eyes, watching her husband hack into the security system. After about five minutes, he smirked.

"Done."

"Okay, good, everyone in that area is probably in the meetin' area, which takes maybe an hour for a presentation before they go an' check whatever project or discovery it's about," Sally murmured, "that gives me enough time to grab a laundry cart and get 'im."

Philip nodded, "I'll be at the care getting everything set up." The couple smiled at each other, before they went their separate ways.

Sally swung her large purse over her shoulder, her eyes darting around for the nearest abandoned laundry cart. Her features brightened when she found one located in the animal labs, and she was glad there were many items inside of it.

She pushed it towards the isolated lab, and opened the door quietly. She smiled slightly in relief that none of her co-workers were in the lab, just as her husband said. She finished opening the door, pulling the cart inside.

By the thickness of the room, the child was even more terrified.

Glancing at the purple-clothe, and debating with her mind for a total of five seconds, she grabbed it, and whatever was under it, stuffing it into her purse.

In a matter of seconds, the cage door was unlocked, and open. The child looked up at her, tears running down his face…

**-Present Day-**

"It was hard, trust me, just getting' 'im outta there," Sally murmured, "I'm just glad my husband was willin' ta help."

Master Splinter nodded. How his son was saved from a horrible fate had always been a mystery, especially by the fact that when he separated him from the family that saved him, and took care of all his other needs.

It was surprising that they wished to reunite Donatello with their family. But there was only one problem that occurred that day, the daughter and his son's closeness.

Donatello had the closest thing to a relationship with the opposite gender then his brothers did at the time, years before bumping into April O'Neil. He would never imagine them meeting April, but it happened, and she accepted them. He could even tell then that a small bit of the memory of the little girl from his long forgotten past had reached out of the void of Donatello's mind.

It worried him greatly, the way Donatello reacted to Miss O'Neil as he did to the little girl whenever she gave him a hug, or those few pecks on the cheeks the small child would give away at random.

He remembered before erasing the children's memories she had given away a big hug to every person present, including himself.

And he knew that a small child was more accepting then an older human.

"How is your daughter?" it was a small, yet randomized question, but Sally knew that it would have been asked sometime within the hour, before she'd be forced to watch as the turtle household slept, cozy in their respected bedrooms.

"She's so different now," the ghost muttered, "I mean, I'd never imagine my lil' girl becomin' such a stubborn young woman, like 'er father, and like 'er Uncle Derek. I mean, she ain't a child anymore, but she's changed so much. The night I died, she seemed so distant."

Splinter nodded, finding it odd.

Very odd.

-----

Mike had finally stopped the little girl impressions, but he still sent Don cheeky grins from across the table as Don polished off his third slice of pizza, then taking a huge gulp of his lemonade.

Raph had left minutes earlier, heading for the showers. He was starting to tire of making fun of the smart one. Leo was clutching onto his glass, eyes darting between Mike and Don.

Don looked like was about to loose control, and Leo wouldn't blame him; he'd probably be the same way with random information, reaching out from the vacuum of his mind and brought into the subconscious. Shifting in his seat, Leo forced a small smile, "Are you going to be okay, Don?"

Don glanced at Leo, forcing a tiny smile, "I'm fine, Leo."

Leo nodded a bit, unsure.

This was starting to freak him out.

"Well, I'm going to play video games," Mikey grew bored of teasing Don for the moment, and pushed back on his chair with a loud screech.

Leo winced at the annoying sound while Don watched Mike trudge from the kitchen, and he could feel the corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile as their baby brother plopped down on the couch in the living room, and began playing one of his violent and blood filled video games. He took a large gulp of the last of his lemonade, glancing at Leo who was staring at him with stern eyes.

Big brother mode was on, and he found his heart quickening in panic due to it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" it was a simple question.

"Because," Don thought for a bit, setting the empty can on the table, "I didn't want you to worry."

Leo acted like a mother hen at times.

"Listen, Don, don't let this quest effect your training or our family," Leo stared at him, eye-ridge raised, "I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble."

Don remembered when he fainted in his lab, because of the ghost woman. That was when he noticed Master Splinter did not return to the kitchen for supper.

"Leo, can we talk about this later," Don glanced at Leo, sending him a small smile, "I gotta go work on a project."

Leo rolled his eyes, "Tomorrow, directly after practice."

"Night," Don stood up at his dinner spot at the table, before quickly walking to the lab. He was trying his best to hide the dread that was building within him at his brisk footsteps. He paused, a small way before reaching the doorway to his sacred haven, and after a few moments after, he entered.

He nearly let out a surprised sound seeing Master Splinter and the Ghost speaking with one another. He seemed happy to see her, as she was to see him. He tensed slightly seeing the ghost's pale eyes glance up, staring at him.

He blinked for a few moments, before she sent him a loving smile, "I'm glad ta see he grew up to a strappin' young man."

_Young man?_

She was the first thing that ever called him a 'young man,' usually they were called freaks, turtles, mutants…the list would go on. This was completely new to him, and yet he found himself completely comfortable with her words.

Master Splinter glanced at him, a soft smile on his muzzle, "Donatello, I know you wouldn't remember, but I would like to re-introduce you to Sally Thompson."

"Like I said before," the ghost woman nodded, "It's been awhile Donnie, and sweetie, I missed ya lots."

Don kept his mouth shut, staring at her, so many questions running through his mind.

"I know what you're thinkin'," the ghost let out a nervous laugh, "'How could this ghost know me, and why does my father remember her while I don't?' Frankly, you ain't the only one. Does the name Zarah ring any bells?"

"_Donnie, I love you!" _

His mouth twitched into a small smile as the little girl's voice squealed those words in his mind.

_Zarah…_

"Maybe a little," he stated. He watched as the ghost sent his adoptive father a frown, before glancing at him.

"She was my daughter and well…" the ghost glanced to Master Splinter, before staring at him again, "she's takin' the returning memories not as well as ya are."

_Returning memories?_

"That explains why I don't remember disappearing," Don muttered, eyes staring at the floor.

"Listen, Donatello," Master Splinter sighed, "Professor Thompson and I believed it was better for you and young Zarah to have your memories wiped, though Sally..."

"I was against it," the ghost stated flatly, "so, my husband, Splinter, an' I made a lil' deal, when I died, then we would tell ya 'bout it. Back then, I was expectin' to see my lil' girl grow up, but I didn' count on bein' hit by a drunk driver three weeks ago."

"So, you're telling me…" Don pointed at the ghost, frowning, "I disappeared ten years ago, and you and your family reunited me with my family, and that your daughter, Zarah, is going through the same confusion as me, but she's taking it harder. Harder how?"

"She gets sick," the ghost stated bluntly.

Don cringed, "I so didn't want to know that."

"Listen, Don," Don stared at the ghost tilted her head, the loving look growing, "ya were the son I never had, and when your memories return, I hope ya remember that. And, I hope ya remember what you and Zarah had."

"Thank you, Miss Sally," the old rat smiled at the ghost, "I hope your cross to the other side goes well, and it was so nice to see you again."

"I'll always be here," Sally stated grinning, "Don, Splinter, ya'll take care of yourselves, alright now?"

Master Splinter nodded, while Don blinked in confusion as the ghost faded.

This was just too weird.

--------

Zarah zipped her duffle bag closed, before setting it down on the floor. She sighed in relief, before grabbing the manila folder of pictures that she pulled from the old trunk, before carefully putting them in a book bag that held the journal. After a few moments, she turned on her heal, paddling out of her bedroom, and towards the attic doorway.

She slipped inside, flipping on the switch, not caring at the moment what trouble she would be in later on. Carefully walking towards the trunk, she flipped it open, studying the objects inside, she began moving through the clutter of child drawn pictures, before she felt a small flimsy piece of plastic under her fingertips. She grabbed it, picking it up, and flipped it open.

On the cover in gold letters was _Album_, and a piece of tape was taped underneath it.

Her eyes widened, because written on the piece and tape was the words _Zarah and Donnie_.

"What the…" her voice trailed off; before she flipped open the cover…

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**Evil Cliffy! Hehehe, how I love thee! **

**I wonder how Zarah's gonna react when she opens the album…oh, in one of the previous chapters, someone asked why I preferred blonde girls named Sarah or Zarah in this case, okay, one, my little sister is named Sarah, but that has nothing to do with this story. For the blonde thing, I'm kinda tired of some people stereotyping blondes as in they are dumb, because I'm blonde…well brownish-blonde, but people still stereotype against me, and one of the Mary-Sues (not under this category) that I've come to love and hate is blonde. **

**Chapter 4 will hopefully be up soon. Somebody reviewed in two of my other stories me letting me know I have to get to work on two stories that I've had writers block for…umm…about a year, so sorry I've been slow, but I haven't had inspiration for any future chapters…but I'll get to work those stories as soon as I get some ideas. **

**Constructive criticism is welcomed, or telling me if some parts are very unrealistic! And hopefully in later chapters Zarah and Don will be reunited in some sorts… **


	5. Chapter 4 Welcome to Planet Z

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT; all I own are my OCs**

* * *

**Void: Chapter 4-Welcome to Planet Z**

"_What the…" her voice trailed off; before she flipped open the cover…_

"Zarah!" she shut the album, glancing towards the attic doorway; paling slightly seeing Lady Jones standing there with an amused look.

"Don' do that!" the seventeen year old brought a hand to her heart, taking deep breathes, "I nearly had a heart attack!" The woman in the doorway shook her head, before making her way over to her.

"Your pop said that you weren't allowed in here," she stated, adjusting her spectacles.

"Please, don' tell 'im," Zarah stated in a meek whisper.

"Why would I tell that SOB?" Lady Jones blinked, "I just wanted to let ya know we're leavin' first thing, and that you should be in bed." Zarah sighed, nodding slightly, standing up with the photo album in hand. She shut the trunk, before paddling towards Lady Jones.

"Wait," Lady Jones watched as the teen paused, before carefully taking the photo album from her cousin's daughter. She nodded as Zarah sent her a slight pout as the blonde-haired teenager turned on her heal and left the attic.

"That girl," Lady Jones shook her head, staring at the album cover, before curiously opening it. Her eyes widened at the first image, "Holy…"

-------

Casey let out a groan, rolling over in bed and grabbing the phone, "'Ello?" A loud yawn escaped his lips. After spending a few hours solo in fighting crime as the hockey masked vigilantly, he realized he needed more sleep.

"_Casey."_

"Ma, do ya realize what time it is?" the man groaned, sitting up. He could smell the slightly dirty stench of his home, but it was the way he liked it.

"_I know Casey, and it's the same time where I'm at,"_ he heard a pause, _"Ya do know about Sally, don't ya?"_

"That southern chick that Phil married, and who has that kid who calls me a dork?" Casey sighed.

"_She's gone…"_

"Like how gone, as in packed up 'er things and left gone, or…" his voice trailed off.

"_It was a dunk driver."_

Casey sighed, running a hand over his face, sapphire blue eyes closed. He muttered 'crap' quietly, "How long has she been gone, and what's goin' on?"

"_Three weeks ago," _then there was an aquard pause, _"they knew Donnie…"_

The phone nearly fell from his grip at the words, "What the heck!?"

"_I dunno what's up, but Zarah's been actin' weird lately, and I'm worried 'bout her. I just want ya ta talk to 'em 'bout it, m'kay Case."_

"I'll go first thing in the morning," Casey sighed, "now can I sleep."

"_Night, son."_

"Night, ma," Casey hung up the phone, before laying back in bed. What in the heck was going on with his life?

-------

His eyes opened slightly as Donatello found himself sleeping in front of his computer, again. He sat up and stretched, the events of the night prior feeling like a whacked out dream.

"Mornin' Sunshine!" a southern drawled voice said brightly beside him. Don's eyes widened his arms frozen in mid air. He carefully turned his head, before letting out a gasp.

_Shell, last night wasn't a dream._

He fell out of his rolling chair, causing it to flip and landing on the floor with a loud crash. Sally stared at Don with a slightly annoyed look, "Ya thought last night was a dream, right?"

Don nodded slightly eyes wide.

"Well, it wasn't."

"Shell…" Don closed his eyes, rubbing his sore bottom, "I have lost my mind."

"No, ya haven't," the ghost woman stated.

"Yes, I have," Don stared at her with a cold gaze, "The only ghosts that my family has encountered are ones of the demonic kind, and this can't be real."

"Well, it is," Sally stated an amused look on her features.

"So, you aren't going to attack me?" Don stated, pointing at Sally with a suspicious look.

"Nope," she stated.

"Why do I find that hard to believe," Don sighed.

A loud pounding was suddenly unleashed on the door, "Don, are you okay in there?"

It was Leo. He glanced at Sally who shook her head negatively, waving her arms around in weird places. He stared at her strangely for a few moments, before stating, "Um, yeah…I just fell asleep at my computer again."

A loud irritated sigh was heard through the door, "Don, you've got to stop doing that. Oh, Don, breakfast is in ten."

Don groaned, hearing his brother leave, glancing at the ghost, "Why exactly are you here?"

"I explained it last night," Sally rolled her eyes, "man, for someone so smart ya can be so dumb. Reminds me of Philip."

_I'm hallucinating…_

"G-Get away!"

Sally blinked watched when he suddenly started backing up. He was afraid of her. She should of known he acted too accepting the night prior.

"Donnie, honey, I'm really here," the ghost whispered quietly.

Don could feel the familiar feeling of his legs trembling as if he was going to pass out any second.

That's when he felt the wave hit him fast and hard.

**-Ten Years Prior-**

He trembled slightly as he stepped from the car, grasping onto the Sally's lab coat as if it was a safety blanket. Minutes prior Phillip had gotten out of the car and escorted the babysitter out, paying her a good sum of money; then he found himself being escorted from the car after the babysitter was miles away.

Their home was different. Back in New York he caught glimpses of tall buildings, but their home was large, and very wide, but not as tall as the buildings appeared.

Sally glanced down, smiling gently at him, and he could not help but smile back.

She was very pretty.

After allowing her to guide him inside, he blinked hearing Phillip laughed.

"Daddy! It's not funny!" a voice whined.

"Phil, stop being mean to your daughter," Sally called. A loud squeal was heard and Phillip entered the room.

The small turtle had to admit, he had never seen a human his age unless he was watching TV with his brothers.

She was a girl in a pink nightgown, her fair hair was braded into pigtails that appeared slightly damp. What particularly caught his eyes were her chubby pink cheeks and pink nose. She wiped her nose on her arm, and stared at him for a few seconds, before sending him a shy smile.

He returned it.

**-Present Day-**

Don drew in deep breathes, leaning on the wall with wide eyes as Sally's ghostly touch soothed his quivering nerves. What in the shell had just happened? Why did he suddenly feel that this ghost was telling the truth?

And most importantly…

Why did Master Splinter keep this from him?

------

"Bye Daddy," Zarah hugged her father tightly.

"Be careful, okay sweetie," Prof. Thompson held his daughter tightly, before letting go, silently watching as she slipped in the car with Lady Jones. He smiled, waving at his only child as the car backed up from the driveway, and then, drive off.

He only went inside after the vehicle disappeared.

Leaning her head on the window, Zarah held herself, "Thanks for doin' this again Lady Jones."

Lady Jones smiled, "Anything for ya Z." Zarah smiled slightly.

"Do ya think she's in heaven?"

Lady Jones frowned for a few seconds, before sighing, "Your ma had a lot of unfinished business."

"That's what I thought," Zarah laughed quietly. After sitting in silence for a few moments, she murmured, "Where did ya put that photo album?"

"It's in my bag," Lady Jones stated, "but I'm not letting ya look at it until I find some answers."

"Answers to what?" Zarah blinked, glancing at Lady Jones with a blank look on her features. Maybe she knew something about the small boy's voice that had been ringing in her mind of late.

"That's what I gotta find out," Lady Jones answered.

Zarah slouched in her seat, a slightly blank expression forming on her features. This is how she had acted since she was six. People had described her as a very serious child and she hardly ever show her fun side.

She was the person who sat alone at lunch that everyone laughed at, and spread rumors about, and had only internet friends.

At times, she would appear cold, and at other times, she would appear sad.

Her mother really wanted to change that, but every time she had tried she would resent, and become silent.

What in the heck was wrong with her?

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**It's a short chapter I know…and I'll work on that! Constructive Criticism welcomed!**


	6. Chapter 5 Discoveries of a New Kind

**I'm not even going to attempt to guess how long it's been since I updated on this, but here it is, at long last, here's the fifth chapter of ****Void**_**. **_

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own TMNT, they belong to Mirage (can I still say that, or should I say Nickelodean); all I own are Zarah, Philip, Sally Thompson, along with all other characters that belong to me, if you wish to borrow them, you can if you ask my permission. **

* * *

**Void: Chapter 5-Discoveries of a New Kind**

The turtles had only started breakfast when Casey entered the lair quickly and unlike him, silent. A slight serious expression was on his features as he glanced around at the three turtle brothers present.

"Casey, ya bonehead, I thought ya were tryin' ta get some sleep after last night," Casey's eyes landed on Raphael as the turtle in question held a box of favorite cereal in his hand. The man shook his head.

He sighed, "My ma's cousin-in-law died three weeks ago." He looked at the floor, rubbing the back of his neck, unsure of what to say next.

Mikey stared at him, chewing on a huge bite of cold left over pizza while speaking, gibberish escaping through as words. Raph and Casey stared at the orange-banded turtle with blank expressions.

"Mike! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Leo cried out into the silence. Mikey swallowed, sending a sheepish grin.

"What in shell were ya sayin', Mike?"

Mikey glanced at Raph, then Leo, "Didn't Don start acting weird three weeks ago?"

Casey stared blankly at Mikey, while Raph and Leo's eyes widened.

"Oh shell…"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Sally had floated in silence, watching quietly as Donatello drew deep breathes, recovering from the flashback. These would hurt, as each one would crash over him, filling him before drawing back, saving others for another time, like an ocean, crashing onto shore, leaving sand, and taking it away.

A forever-repeating process.

She blinked when Don looked at her, a serious look on his features, "Sally, do you know how I disappeared ten years ago?"

The ghost blinked at the question, before stating, "All I know was that my partner found ya somewhere durin' a business trip in New York."

He sighed, rubbing his temples carefully.

_Why can't that memory come back, the one I need most?_

He tensed slightly when there was a pounding at the door, before he heard Raph growl, "Don! Open this door!"

"Why can't I get a moments peace around here?" he asked himself quietly. He blinked, before glancing around the room.

Sally had disappeared once again.

Standing up, Don made his way to the door, opening it staring at Raph blankly. The red clad turtle looked impatient, and before he could get a word out, a firm hand clasped onto his shoulder, yanking him from his lab.

"Raph! What the-What the shell are you doing!?" the genius turtle cried. Raph replied to the cry with a slight grunt, before yanking Don to the living area where Mikey, Leo, and Casey were standing around. Don struggled slightly in Raph's grip until Raph forced him to sit in the easy chair.

The purple-banded turtle blinked, glancing at his brothers with a nervous expression, and turned his gaze to Casey.

The ebony haired man sent him a sheepish look, and a nervous laugh escaped his lips, "Um…hey Donnie."

Don turned his gaze to Raph, "What the shell is going on here?"

Raph glanced at Casey, which caused Don to look at the dark haired man. The man cleared his throat before rubbing the back of his head, "I'm not sure how to ask this…"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

It had barely been two hours since she had left the house, and they were at a gas station. Only minutes ago, did Lady Jones hand her a few crinkled dollar bills and told her to go inside and buy a couple of candy bars or something of the sort. Zarah, of course, just stared at the candy selection, blinking as her dark eyes scanned over Butterfingers, Hershey's Dark Chocolate, Kit-Kats, and the many other selections on those low rows of shelves.

After several seconds, she found her eyes glancing in the direction of the blue wrapper of a CRUNCH bar. Blinking a few times, she reached out, grabbing it.

"_Hey, Donnie…have you ever had a Crunchie bar b'fore?" _

"_No…What is a Crunchie bar?" _

She could feel her knees tremble, her eyes widening. The CRUNCH bar slipped from her grip, and she turned on her heel quickly as her stomach did several back flips. As the candy bar landed on the ground with a soft crack, her legs were moving her in the direction of the ladies room. Feeling her stomach lurch, a hand moved quickly to cover her mouth.

Deep brown eyes surrounded by a sea of purple flashed into her mind as her fingers grazed the doorknob.

_Why is this happening to me?_

Tears of pain prickled her eyes as the knob was twisted and the door was pushed hard enough for it to make a loud _crack_ when it hit the worn white wall. She rushed to the closest stall and her mind went blank.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Splinter had joined the group, much to the insistence of Leonardo. All eyes were on Casey, who was still struggling with his question, unsure on how to ask it; Raph, for once, was being patient, noticing that whatever his best friend had to ask his brother had to be _big_ in order for the man to be this anxious. Mikey, however, was the opposite of Raph, jittering in his seat, eyes darting back and forth from Casey and Don.

Several minutes of silence passed, before Casey's shoulders slumped and he sighed, "I'm really not sure how to ask this."

"Maybe you should tell Donnie what you told us," Mike suggested.

Don's eye ridges furrowed at the statement, turning his gaze towards Casey in a puzzled fashion. Casey, deciding to go along with Mikey's suggestion, straightened some, nodding, before stating, "Three weeks ago, my ma's cousin-in-law passed away in a car accident."

"Wait, what does that have to do with anything?" Don asked, staring at the man as if he grew a second head.

"Don, you started acting strangely exactly three weeks ago," Leo stated.

Splinter's eyes widened.

"Mr. Jones, if I may ask," Master Splinter interjected, "What is your mother's cousin-in-law's name?"

Casey turned his gaze to the aging rat, staring in confusion, before answering, "Sally Thompson."

Don's eyes widened.

_No way, there is NO way that this is the same Sally Thompson has started to pop up in my lab. _

Splinter hid his shock by nodding, as Don managed to regain his composure, repeating, "So, what does her death have to do with anything?"

Casey's lips formed into a straight line, before he sighed, "I'm not sure how to say this, but, apparently, Sally and her family knew you Donnie."

Raph, Mike, and Leo, who had been silent as the other three talked, felt their jaws drop in shock the moment those last three words slipped through his lips.

"WHAT!?"

-~-~-~-~-~-~-

"Zarah?"

"Huh?" she replied, reaching up to touch her temple, "What happened?"

Lady Jones sighed in relief, before stating, "You got sick, that's what happened." She touched Zarah's cheek with the back of her hand, her brow furrowing, "You don't have a fever. Zarah, are you feeling okay?"

Zarah blinked, finally realizing she was sitting on the bathroom floor in front of the stall she had ran in; Lady Jones was kneeling in front of her staring at her in concern. Zarah smiled, "I feel fine. I'm probably hungry, that's all."

Lady Jones stared at her skeptically for a few seconds, before sighing, "If you say so, kiddo."

* * *

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**Constructive Criticism welcomed! **

**I feel bad, I said I would try to update on **_**A Message in Music**_** (sighs sadly) well, I'll try to update on that next, along with **_**DuoVoice, Risen Heroine **_**and (I'm hoping) **_**A Chance to Love 2.0**_**. **

**Oh, there's also a chance (an itty bitty chance) that I will write a oneshot for either **_**JONAS**_** or **_**Ouran High School Host Club**_**, but I will be sure to update on a few of my TMNT fics before I even think about writing it. **

**Good news: The research paper for my full year project for school is almost finished; however, in January I'll be starting my product for it (which I can't wait). I'm also in a Microfiction class (for five weeks…well, four now) in school, so maybe my writers block will go away! (Knocks on wood)**


End file.
